


Kisses Before Danger

by Teriah8



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 12:58:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16118969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teriah8/pseuds/Teriah8
Summary: Tessa is attacked in Crimson Lights by an unknown enemy while Mariah is away in Madison with GC Buzz. Will Tessa tell Mariah? If she does, how will Mariah react?





	Kisses Before Danger

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fiction attempt. I hope you enjoy it. Also, thanks to SwanQueen4tw for all the help on the beta.

Tessa stood staring at the large floor to ceiling mirror that hung on the wall in her small apartment’s living room. She could feel the bruises forming along the edges of her arms. Taking off her shirt, Tessa further examined the bruises that had started to form around her rib cage. It was hard to take a deep breath and she was confident that a few ribs were broken. The pain was starting to grow the longer she waited to take medication. Tessa managed to complete the search with careful precision, only making herself gasp in pain once when she slipped and scratched her side.

_What am I going to do? How am I going to come up with $20,000 before they decide to come back? How could I be so stupid? Why can’t I just have a normal life with my sister and Mariah both with me at the same time? Why do these problems always follow me?_

Exhausted Tessa turned and walked towards the small bathroom, removing the remainder of her clothing as she went. Once under the shower, the steaming water began to relax her muscles. Pounding streams flowed over the woman’s skin and worked to remove the memories of her attack. It was then that Tessa realized she had been shaking. _When was the last time I was this shaken up over a beating? 7 or 8 years old? Why am I so afraid of them? I have been hurt worse in the past. I can handle this. I have handled worse before this…_

“Mariah.” She mumbled. Images of the fiery redheaded beauty filled her mind. Letting her thoughts take over, Tessa thought of Mariah’s laughter and how it filled the air around them. Her smile always radiant as she laughed about a joke Tessa had told her over dinner. Tessa couldn’t even remember what was so funny about their conversation. All she could recall was the way that Mariah had looked up from her side of the table with those beautiful eyes of hers. The thought alone made Tessa catch her breath. Mariah’s look was pure and unwavering. The happiness that shined from her eyes was for Tessa and only Tessa. 

Instantly tears started forming in the corners of Tessa’s eyes threatening to fall at any moment. _What if they hurt Mariah? What if something happens to her because of me? What if they…_ Her thoughts went to every dark corner that a mind can wander when someone they love is in danger.

Tears slowly fell onto her cheeks, leaving streaks of long forgotten mascara. Sobbing, Tessa crumbled onto the white tile shower floor. She wrapped her arms around her battered body as the water continued to flood over her. The agony enveloped the dark-haired woman until she lost all sense of time. Tessa wondered if this feeling would ever end. However, it was not her bruises that were the center of her pain, rather the hole she felt had been opened in the center of her chest. _If anything happens to Mariah…? If anything happens to my sweet, sweet Mariah? What will I do?_

Tessa couldn’t recall how long she had stayed curled up in the bottom of shower wishing for something to change. Eventually, she found herself in her bedroom looking through the closet for a change of clothes. Rummaging through the drawer that contained her night clothes, she chose a simple white cotton tank top and a pair of teal flannel pajama pants with small gold shiny stars. Comfort was all Tessa could think of at this moment and fashionable night garments were the least of her worries.

It was only about 8 o’clock, normally Tessa did not turn in for the night until well after 11, but she knew that sleep was not far away. After feeling a rumble in her stomach, it dawned on the musician that she had not eaten since breakfast. Walking into the kitchen, she grabbed a bag of mixed nuts from the small cabinet in the corner of the room where she stored her snack foods. Reaching inside the stainless-steel refrigerator, she took out a bottle of coconut water and retreated to the living room couch.

When Tessa returned home, she didn’t pay attention to where she left her phone. Now sitting in the living room, she could hear the constant humming of a vibration somewhere in the distance. The ringer was turned off since she had been working at Crimson Lights all day. Tessa followed the continual humming until finally locating it underneath her purse on the small entry way table near her front door. She swiped the screen and blue light filled the room.

_7:15 pm: Hey babe. I’m just now getting to the hotel & I’m really exhausted. If you get this before 7:30 call me back. If not just send me a message later so I know that you got this. XOXO –M_

Tessa opened the camera app on her phone, adjusting it to face her. She knew her hair was awful and probably a mad mess all over her head, but she didn’t care. She switched to video mode. Looking into the camera Tessa told Mariah that she couldn’t wait to see her tomorrow and acted like she kissed the camera. Ending the message with “love you be safe coming home.” Tessa pressed send knowing that Mariah would probably not see the message until the morning since Mariah was most likely asleep already.

Adjusting on the couch, she looked around for the remote and found it laying on the coffee table. Turning on the TV, a bright white light illuminated the otherwise slowly darkening room. A detective of some sort appeared on the screen standing over a dead body wrapped in a white sheet. Tessa wasn’t that interested in what was happening on the television. It was just the noise of other people talking in the background that she wanted. It always helped to calm her nerves in the evenings when she was alone. Taking a dark red fleece blanket from the back of the couch, Tessa wrapped it around her legs. She laid down with her head resting on the throw pillow she had retrieved from the other end of the couch. Before she realized, she had fallen asleep listening to the detective explain something to the killer.

xxx

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Tessa jolted off the couch with such force that she almost turned over the coffee table with her knee. The purple glass holding her water from the night before rolled across the floor leaving a puddle on the hard wood as it stilled. Grabbing her knee, Tessa immediately stood only to be blinded by the morning sun. She held her hand over her eyes to minimize the glare that beamed through the large balcony windows.  

BANG! BANG! BANG! 

Fear enveloped her at a rate she had forgotten was even possible. Tessa instantly began searching for some sort of weapon or simple object to defend herself. Approaching the door slowly, the musician grabbed a kitchen knife off the counter.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Looking through the small peephole on the large grey door, Tessa saw beautiful blonde hair and the profile of her now employer. Quickly, Tessa unlatched the deadbolt and swung open the door. Sharon looked up to face her. Her facial expression ranged somewhere between maternal panic and aspiration for this whole situation.

“I have been banging for a while now, Tessa! You had me scared to death! I was getting ready to go ask the super to let me into your apartment. I thought something might have happened to you.”

“Well sorry Sharon if I wasn’t Johnny on the spot to answer the door when it sounded like the person on the other side wanted to break it down. You might recall that yesterday was a little bit intense and people banging on doors is a little unsettling after you are attacked!” Tessa hadn’t meant to snap at the woman. She knew that regardless of their history and the things that had been said between them, Sharon never did anything with the pure intention of upsetting someone. Sharon wouldn’t be here without a good reason. “Sorry.” She followed up. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. It has been a long night.”

“It’s okay.” Sharon said. “I know that you are just stressed. Sorry that I was banging on the door like a lunatic. I was just worried when you didn’t answer right away.”  

“I know. It’s alright. What can I do for you?” Tessa asked as she turned to walk back into her apartment. Sharon followed her inside closing the door as she entered. Tessa entered the kitchen to retrieve a small blue towel out of the drawer closet to the sink.

“How are you doing after yesterday? Did you manage to get any rest?” Sharon asked.

Tessa walked by Sharon into the living room where the water was now trying to soak through the cracks in her hardwood flooring. She bent down trying not to let on about how much the pain was already bothering her. “I slept okay, I guess. I fell asleep on the couch watching television.”

“Did you talk to Mariah?” Sharon asked.

“No. I didn’t get to talk to her. Mariah said that she was going to bed early, so I just left her a message saying I would see her today.”

“So, you didn’t tell her anything about what happened yesterday at Crimson Lights?”

“No.” Tessa stood, laying the wet towel on the coffee table. Turning, she looked at Sharon who was now standing in her living room with a worried look on her face. “We talked about this. You CAN NOT tell Mariah about this. She will try to get involved and we don’t want to see her get hurt.”

“I know we talked about it, Tessa but I don’t know that I can lie to her about this. She is my daughter. We tell each other everything. I don’t want to ruin that trust over something as important as this.”

“Sharon, I love her. I would do anything to protect her. I would even risk her being mad at me to make sure she was okay. You would rather we tell Mariah and risk her being hurt over not tell her and she is mad us both for a little while?”

“Yes…no…yes.” Sharon paused. “I don’t know.” The older woman’s eyes scanned the apartment with no specific destination only that of confusion and turmoil. “Mariah loves you too. If she found out that I didn’t tell her and something happened to you, she may never forgive me for it.”  Sharon’s resolve to make a strong front with Tessa was failing by the moment. Where she once had anger, she now had worry and regret. With a sigh, Sharon placed her head in her hands.

Tessa approached her with a gentle kindness and warmth, like a daughter to a mother. “Sharon, look at me.” Lifting her head, the frantic woman met Tessa’s gaze. “We both love her. We both want her safe. We both want to tell her the truth but we can’t. We are not doing this because it is something that we are proud of doing. We simply love her too much to risk her.”

“I know.” Sharon said in almost a whisper. “Mariah is still my little girl. I know I didn’t get to raise her when she was small but as a parent your children are always little in your eyes. I just want her safe, loved, and happy. Tessa, I know that we haven’t always seen eye to eye on everything but I know that Mariah loves you and you love her. You will protect her. Really, in the end, that is all that a mother can ask for. But Tessa, I will not lie to her if she asks me directly. I won’t. I can’t. I will keep your secret but if Mariah figures out that something has been going on and she asks me what it is, I will have to tell her the truth.”

“Fine.” Tessa was not happy with the result of this conversation but she could tell that Sharon was trying to give her something. Stepping towards the door, Sharon followed close behind. “I can live with that. It’s not exactly what I wanted but it is better than telling her outright. At least if we both work together we can try to keep her off the trail for a little while.”

“Okay.” Sharon replied. “We’re in agreement? We don’t tell Mariah about anything until she figures it out herself. But if she does figure out that something is wrong, we will tell her everything that happened.”

“Agreed.” Tessa was a little defeated but she had to say the part of her that wanted to run to Mariah and tell her everything was a little relieved. Sharon reached out to take the door handle. “Sharon.” The older woman stopped and turned to look at Tessa. “Was that the reason you came over this morning? I am not scheduled to be at Crimson Lights until 10, but I was still planning on coming to work.”

“I wanted to come by and make sure you are okay. But also, to make sure that we were on the same page about Mariah. Mainly to make sure that you were okay. I’m sorry that I got so defensive about the cameras at Crimson Lights. I know that you are just trying to do what you think is right by Crystal. You are a good sister, Tessa. You put your happiness, and after yesterday your health, aside just to make sure that she is okay. That is a very admirable thing to do.”

“Thank you, Sharon. That means a lot. I love her. She is my sister. I’m used to fighting for her. I have been doing it my whole life. This is not the first beating that I have taken for her and if need be, it won’t the last.” Tessa didn’t realize that as she spoke of Crystal, she had straightened up and was now standing as tall as she could. Her body just instinctively went on guard, ready to fight for Crystal & her happiness.

Sharon opened the grey door and stepped out into large open hallway. “I will see you at Crimson Lights.” She pointed towards Tessa’s arms. “Better make sure that you wear something that will cover that up or Mariah will notice the second she gets back.” Tessa looked down at her forearms, having forgotten that her tank top did not cover very well. All the bruising had darkened and now her arms were the color of a very ripe eggplant. This was not going to be easy to hide. “Bye, Tessa. Take some Aleve before you come in. It will help with the pain.” Sharon said as she walked away heading to the elevator.

Tessa turned and closed the door. She walked into her bedroom and began getting ready for work. _How am I going to keep Mariah from seeing these bruises? Really, how am I going to do that? Plus, I know the first thing Mariah is going to do is hug me or touch me. What am I going to do?_ Tessa tried her best to put makeup over the bruises on her arms. She continued to get ready while planning in her head how to keep Mariah from seeing her like this.

xxx

Mariah looked out the window of the black Lincoln Navigator Devon had rented for her crew to take to Madison. She watched the light turn red as the SUV came to a stop. _This is taking forever!!! Why are there so many stoplights in this town? Can this light possibly take any longer?_ Mariah was normally a pretty patient person when driving. She wasn’t one to try to push her way through crazy traffic.  She understood that everyone had a pace all their own and circumstances sometimes couldn’t be avoided. But today, her patience was on edge because someone inside a little coffeehouse was waiting for her to come home.

The vehicle finally rounded the street and headed into the parking lot of the building where GC Buzz was stationed. Pulling into the first parking space available, Mariah quickly jumped out of the SUV before it even came to a complete stop. Brad, her lead production assistant, looked at her as she went to close the door. He hopped out of the other side of SUV. “You in a hurry boss.” He laughed knowing full well what her rush was.

“Can you and Samantha make sure that all the gear is unloaded and taken back to the roof top later after you drop off the essentials here? I have somewhere I need to be. I will try to come by later if I have the time and look through some of the early cuts we got completed last night.”

“Sure thing. No problem.” Brad chuckled as Mariah turned and briskly started heading for her car.

“TELL TESS WE SAID HI!” Samantha yelled. Her voice echoed through the parking lot as Mariah reached her car.

Mariah just smiled and waved goodbye as she got into her car. She could hear distant laughter as she closed the door and started the engine. Pulling out of the parking lot onto the street, she knew she would have to be more cautious on the road since her excitement to reach Crimson Lights was already getting out of control.

xxx

The morning rush had been insane. Tessa was pretty sure that everyone in Genoa City had decided to stop and get coffee at Crimson Lights. It was worse than Starbucks during the fall premiere of the pumpkin spiced latte. But to her shock the customers, for the most part, had been patient. She and the other barista, Mallory, worked to navigate the sea of people, attempting to make sure all orders were correct and promptly delivered. After about two hours of constant work and a steady stream of patrons, Tessa was finally able to start working to clean up the coffeeshop a little bit.

Bending over, Tessa picked up the used mugs and trash that littered the tables. She placed everything into the large black dish pan. All she could hear in the middle of the crowded business was the laughter of some nearby teenagers and the muffled conversations of a busy morning. A quiet melody could be heard somewhere in the distance, humming from the speakers near the jukebox.

xxx

Mariah came into the coffeehouse ready to find the woman she had been missing for what seemed like forever. As she came through the glass door, she instantly saw Tessa working to clear a table for a new customer. Without a moment’s thought, Mariah quickly went to hug her from behind using all the force she could muster. “Hey! I’m home!” Mariah declared as she wrapped her arms around the taller woman.

Tessa winced and gasped from the unexpected contact. Her ribcage screamed as it was squeezed with such force. Realizing that Mariah had probably heard her, she quickly tried to cover her movements and the noises that had slipped from her throat. “Uh…Welcome back! How was the big trip! How’d the remote go in Madison?”

Mariah looked at Tessa with instant worry. The taller woman tried to straighten her sweater while also trying to discreetly rub the sore points on her sides. “Why did you react that way when I hugged you?” Mariah asked.

“Uh…I was…I was startled.” Tessa tried to lie.

“No. You gasped and winced like you were in pain.”

“Oh. I smacked into the corner of the counter a little earlier and I got a little bruise. It’s nothing.”

“Show me.” Mariah demanded.

“What?”

“Show me. If that’s really all the it is than show me.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Tessa turned to walk toward the coffee bar. Reaching out, Mariah snatched Tessa’s forearm. Upon contact, the taller woman could not hide the pain. She gasped loudly.

Mariah continued to exam her forearm quickly, taking the other forearm into her hand as well. The redhead’s voice started to rise and her attitude was in full swing. Mariah’s anger was rapidly growing and Tessa knew this was not going to end well. “ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO BLAME THIS ON THE COUNTER?” She demanded a response. Her anger continuing to build.

“I just didn’t want you freaking out.” Tessa said.

“TOO LATE! I AM ALREADY IMAGINING ALL THE TERRIBLE WAYS YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN THOSE!” Mariah was inches from Tessa’s face and all Tessa could do was try to look up to avoid eye contact and maybe escape her wrath for a moment. “TESSA WHAT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS GONE AND WHY ARE YOU LYING TO ME ABOUT IT!”

Tessa could see that several customers had started to look their direction. She knew she needed this job more than anything and she couldn’t risk a scene. Taking Mariah’s hand, she led her out to the patio. “Come with me.”

“Where else did you get hurt, Tessa? I’m not going to take no for an answer so you might as well let me see now.” Mariah stood with her arms crossed. She stood as if she were ready to go to war for Tessa but her face could not hide the worry lines that were forming on her brow. Tessa leaned over a chair and started to raise the back of her red sweater. Mariah reached out and gripped the cloth, lifting it up revealing the bruised flesh. “Oh my God. Tessa, this happened here.”

“Yeah. It was super slow and I was by myself. He just jumped me.”

“He. Who’s he?” Tessa proceeded to explain that she knew exactly who it was. It was a man that was trying to get the $20,000 he was owed for helping Crystal. “What if they try to get rid of you? Tessa, these guys are getting impatient.” Tessa did her best to reassure Mariah that the men only wanted their money and once they had it they would leave her alone. Mariah offered to use her savings but Tessa refused her offer again. She could literally see Mariah’s mind running laps at a million thoughts per second trying to find a solution. Tessa reached out and placed a hand on Mariah’s arm. She patted her girlfriend’s arm, bringing her hand to rest there to comfort her. “Help me find a job with better pay and more hours.”

“Okay. I will tell you if I hear anything.” Mariah was in such deep thought, she barely heard Tessa say that she needed to get back to her shift. Tessa quickly kissed her on the cheek as she went back to work.

Mariah remained on the patio as she tried to gather her thoughts into a plan that would help Tessa get more money. Spinning around, she headed towards the exit knowing exactly who she could count on to help her out. Tessa watched from the counter as Mariah left hoping that she would see her soon and she wasn’t too mad.

xxx

Customers came into the coffee shop in a steady stream for the rest of the afternoon. Tessa knew that not hearing from Mariah could just mean that she had to go back to the studio to help. However, her bigger fear was that Mariah was simply to mad at her to talk right now. Handing a steaming caramel latte to a blonde lady at the counter who had little boy in tow, Tessa took the money placing it in the drawer. “Come again. Have a nice afternoon.” As Tessa turned to try and tidy the countertops and trash around the coffee bar, she heard a ding inside her pocket. Taking out her phone, she could see that it was from Mariah.

_M: Don’t get too excited because you might not want to do it but I talked to Nick & you have a job if you want it. He said that he had some secretarial work that needs to be done at night. Are you interested? _

Tessa stood shocked. _Nick is offering me a job. I don’t deserve that. I have hurt him and Sharon so much. Noah too. Mariah must have pulled the “You said I was like a daughter to you” card with him._ Texting her reply, Tessa responded.

_T: Yes. Yes. Of course, I will take it. Anything that he is willing to let me do. Thank you. How did you know that he had a job available?_

_M: I didn’t know if he had anything. I just knew he said he would help me with anything if I ever needed him. Before you say a word…You are always worth asking for. XOXO_

_T: I love you. You know that. XOXO_

_M: I love you too. X_

_T: What time do I need to be there? I want to make sure that I am on time._

_M: 8:00pm. Meet him in the lobby & he will help you get set up. But hey I have to get back to work. Brad is looking at me all crazy because he needs to ask me some questions about the show today. _

_T: Ok. I don’t want you to get into trouble. LOL I will call you later. XOXO_

_M: Ok. Love you. X_

_T: Love you too X_

Tessa put the phone back into her pocket. A smile had started to grow on her face and she was pretty sure the customer at the counter thought she was a little insane.

xxx

Mariah pressed the up button on the giant elevator. Hearing the ding, she stepped inside. Carefully, she tried not to drop the bag of food. The lobby was empty except for the security guard at the front desk. Luckily, Nick had given special entrance badges to her, Sharon, and Faith for emergencies. Mariah knew this wasn’t an emergency, but she didn’t think that Nick would mind. Pressing the button for the 47th floor, the elevator sprang upward to its destination.

As she rode, Mariah listened to the music of a female singer songwriter that she couldn’t quite remember the name of. She was almost positive Tessa had added to her playlist when she was not looking. The musician was notorious for doing that. Some might have seen it as an invasion of privacy, but Mariah loved it. She was always caught off guard by some band that would instantly reminded her of Tessa.

The light for the penthouse floor lit up as the doors began to open. Mariah stepped into the entry way of the new Dark Horse offices. As she rounded the corner looking for Tessa, she was surprised to see her head pop up from behind a chair like a squirrel in a tree. Mariah reached up to remove her earphones.

“Woman, you scared the crap out of me! I was ready to attack!” Tessa exclaimed as she stood from behind the black leather chair. Mariah stood there with an amused expression on her face still slightly confused.

“What were you going to do? Staple me to death.” She giggled as her eyes went to rest on the bright blue stapler in Tessa’s hand.

“Well, I had improvise.” Tessa explained.

“I’m sorry that I spooked you.” Mariah replied with a smile.

“I’m…I’m just a little on edge.”

“I figured you would be anxious working her alone so I decided to keep you company and I brought supper.”

“You are so sweet.” Tessa said. “It seems like I just take, take, take and you just keep giving.”

“That is not true.” Mariah beamed at her. “You give me so much.”

“I do.” Tessa asked inquisitively.

“Yes. You make me happy. You make me laugh. And you make me feel loved. Which means more to me than anything.” Mariah moved forward, leaning up to bring her lips to Tessa’s.

Tessa met her halfway bringing Mariah top lip between hers. Pulling back faster than Tessa really wanted, she quickly kissed Mariah on the cheek. She held Mariah’s hands in her own. Grazing down into her eyes. “I would love to stand here and kiss you all night.” She said with a quirk of her mouth. “But I have to deliver these boxes to the tech firm across town. Nick said that he would have a delivery man meet me downstairs about 9:15 and its 9:10 right now.” Tessa tilted her head towards the large clock behind the front desk.

“No problem. I understand.” Mariah backed away slowly, trying to juggle all the items in her hands. “I will just take the food into the breakroom and get it set up for supper.” Mariah quickly rose onto her toes to kiss Tessa’s cheek. “See you in just a minute.”

With that, she retreated to the hallway heading towards the newly renovated break area. Tessa turned, grabbed the boxes, and walked to the elevator. As she pressed the button for the 1st floor she smiled. _How did I get so lucky to have someone like her in my life?_ The elevator ding was heard and Tessa walked through the doors, eager to complete her task so that she could have a quiet dinner with the woman that she loved.

xxx

Mariah heard something fall in the distance. She realized that for some reason she could not seem to move her neck completely. She squinted, bright light flooded her eyes as it streamed through a crack in the door. Gradually, she lifted herself and began to gather her senses. _Where am I? Why does my neck hurt so much?_ Mariah continued to straighten out her body parts which were stiff and tired.

A small light across the room glowed red and black with the Dark Horse logo. Sleeping on a couch in an office was never a good idea. Office couches shouldn’t even really be called couches. Slowly, Mariah stood and opened the doors to Nick’s office. Tessa was sitting at the desk in the lobby typing something into the computer. The large modern metal clock behind her head said that it was 3:35am.

Tessa noticed the redhead and smiled as she approached. “I’m sorry, babe. Did I wake you up?” She half stood but Mariah put out her hands gesturing her to stay seated. “I dropped the cup of paper clips on the desk. I was trying to be quiet.”

Pulling out Tessa’s desk chair, Mariah crawled into Tessa’s lap. She let her chin rest in the crook of the right side of the musician’s neck. Tessa held her so that they could both remain in the chair. Kissing the soft exposed skin right under Tessa’s earlobe, Mariah responded. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I know after we ate dinner, I said I was going to try to work a little while so I didn’t bother you but I didn’t think I would fall sleep.”

Tessa used her fingertips to stroke comforting circles on Mariah’s back. Tessa placed a kiss in the sea of red hair on top of her head. “I knew that you would probably pass out on me at some point. I know that you don’t do well if you stay up past midnight.” She said with a grin. “I love you, but you have a definite bedtime and it’s long before now.”

Mariah set up quickly to face her. She slapped Tessa on the shoulder playfully as she went. “Hey! That is not true! I can hang with the best of them!”

Tessa could no longer contain the large smile that had taken over her face. She knew that Mariah hated to be told that she couldn’t hang as long as other people. She was only teasing her because she loved seeing Mariah get defensive. Their playful banter was one of the things she loved most about their relationship. “I know, babe. I know you can.” Tessa deadpanned.

Mariah swatted at her arm again with a little more force for effect. Tessa let out a laugh so loud that it filled the empty room echoing off the walls. “I love you but you are so mean sometimes.” Mariah joked. She started laughing only to have Tessa catch the laugh with a kiss on her full red lips.

Tessa looked up at her after she pulled back. “I love you too.”

Mariah could not explain the warmth that filled her chest. The clock above Tessa chimed and Mariah looked towards it. 4:00am. _Thank goodness it is the weekend._

“Are you about ready to get out of here and head home?” Tessa said.

“Yes. Please, I need to change into comfortable clothes and I’m not even going to lie… I need to sleep a little more.”

“Well, I am going to have to sleep too. I didn’t get a nap like you did.  Do you just want to come to the house and we can both sleep the morning away together?” Tessa asked with a small crooked smile, her head tilting to the side. She had a certain sparkle in her eyes.

“Just sleep.” Mariah warned with her eyes. “I’m serious, Tess. I’m so sleepy.” She let out a yawn that lasted a good 3 seconds.

As they both stood, Tessa looked her up and down. “Yes. Just sleep.” Tessa stated. “You don’t think I can “just sleep” in a bed with you?” She continued checking her out not hiding what she was doing with a playful smile on her face. Tessa knew that the longer she did it, the more uncomfortable Mariah would be and she liked when Mariah was a little nervous.

“Come on. I am too tired to deal with your sexy eyes right now. I’m so tired I can hardly stand.” Mariah spun around with a quick smile and walked across the room to gather their purses. Tessa completed the last email she had to send. Then she made a complete sweep of all the Dark Horse offices locking doors and putting the last of her work on Nick’s desk. As she came back to the lobby, Mariah reached out to take her hand and Tessa clicked off the lights to the offices.

Walking into the elevator, Tessa found the button for the 1st floor and pressed it. Backing up, she stood against the wall with Mariah by her side. Quietly, she wrapped her arms around Mariah’s waist and kissed the side of her neck. Hugging her until the elevator got to the bottom floor, Tessa realized she could not remember a time where she was this happy.

xxx

Tessa immediately recognized the scent of perfume floating near her nose. But what she wasn’t prepared for was the volume of red locks pooling over her face. She could feel the tickling sensation on her nose and knew if she didn’t do something soon she would sneeze. Carefully, she tried to pull the tendrils of shiny red hair away from her face. As she did, Tessa revealed the pale gorgeous skin of the beauty who lay beneath all those red waves. _Beautiful. Absolutely stunning. You are so out of your league with this one._ She continued her inner monologue while gently tucking a thread of hair behind Mariah’s right ear.

Mariah’s eyelashes fluttered, causing Tessa to freeze for fear that she had awoken her. Soon, the tiniest sliver of Mariah’s eye peeked up at her. A smile grew on her lips. “Good morning.”

“Well actually, it is more like Good Afternoon.” Tessa corrected her. Mariah lifted herself and crawled over Tessa literally putting her entire body weight on the brunette. She looked at the clock on the bedside table. 2:00pm. “Babe.” Tessa chimed as she winced pushing back on Mariah a little bit. “I’m a little injured if you recall. Plus, if you are going to crawl on top of me first thing every morning, I will have to make sure that I get up a little sooner.”

“I’m sorry.” Mariah rolled off Tessa looking ashamed of herself and a little hurt.

“I just have to run to the restroom and your knee was resting on my side.” Tessa then proceeded to crawl over the top of Mariah, making sure to press their bodies completely together as she exited the bed. It was worth the moment of pain. Tessa kissed her on the tip of her nose right before her feet hit the floor. Heading for the restroom, Mariah watched her walk away in nothing but a nightshirt. Tessa made sure that as she left she didn’t look back. She did, however, also make sure that she lifted her arms to reveal her lace lingerie bottoms she was wearing. Mariah’s eyes where as big as pie plates when Tessa caught a glimpse from the bathroom mirror when she entered. _Serves her right for crawling on top of me this early in the morning. Two can play that game._

When Tessa came out of the bathroom, she didn’t see Mariah but she could hear a clanging sound coming from her kitchen. Tessa quickly grabbed a pair of silk pajama shorts from the top drawer of the dresser in her closet. Putting them on, she made her way towards all the clanging. Mariah was squatted down fishing through Tessa’s pots and pans trying to find something. “What are you looking for? Cause with all the noise that you are making, I’m pretty sure it ran away.”

“I’m trying to find a skillet to make some breakfast. I’m starving to death. Supper was hours and hours and hours ago.” Mariah exaggerated.

“Babe, you don’t have to cook. Besides, I think breakfast was like 5 hours ago.” Tessa said with a smile. “We can run out and get something later if you want to. We have to go get your car at Dark Horse anyway.”

“Ok. That sounds good. I will be honest, I really didn’t want to cook.” Mariah closed the cabinet door.

“Come here.” Tessa opened her arms and Mariah made her way into her arms. Squeezing Mariah around the waist, she had to remind Mariah not to squeeze her too hard. Tessa kissed her forehead. “Good after-morning. Did you sleep good?”

Mariah looked up into those big green eyes. “Anytime that I sleep with you, I sleep good. You know that.” Tessa knew that she was telling the truth.

They had been best friends for a long time. This wasn’t the first time they had slept in the same bed together. They had done it so much when they lived in the same house, that they had a routine down when getting ready for bed.

Mariah always wanted to wear Tessa’s pajamas. She refused to wear her own. So, Tessa would find a set of pajamas she knew Mariah liked. While she changed, Tessa would pick out her night clothes. Then when Tessa was changing, Mariah would make them both tea and bring it to the bedroom. They would drink their tea, talk about their daily activities, and scroll through their phones.

Mariah would snuggle up to Tessa while Tessa put her left arm over the top of the redhead until she fell asleep. Tessa had to sleep on her left side but she always made sure Mariah was comfortable and sound asleep before she turned over. By the morning, it never failed, they would be a mess of arms and legs tangled together. They had never once been able to sleep together without ending up a tangled mess.

Leaning down, Tessa captured Mariah’s lips with her own. Carefully moving their mouths in a dance of two people who loved each other deeply. Mariah felt herself begin to get lost in the kiss. Tessa pulled her closer until there was no room between them.

Mariah felt Tessa begin to suck on her bottom lip. It was then that she realized what this was going to lead into. She hated to do it, but she pulled back. Tessa following her for a moment until her body caught up with her brain. Mariah quickly placed a chaste kiss on her lips again. “As much as I would love to stay here all day and do this, we do have to go get my car. We only have until 5:00pm to move it out of the parking space or it will get towed. Plus, I think my sides are going to start eating each other if you don’t take me for food soon.” As if on cue, Mariah’s stomach growled loudly.

“You’re right. I can’t have you HANGRY. I have seen that and it’s not pretty.” Tessa winked as she started towards the bedroom to get ready.

Mariah watched her leave, lingering behind to enjoy the view. They had so many things that were going on right now. They needed to find a way to get $20,000 and they needed to make sure that Crystal came back to Genoa City so Tessa could be truly happy. But right now, all Mariah cared about was watching the woman she loved get ready next to her in the bedroom. Laughing at each other’s jokes, asking to borrow the same red lipstick for the 100th time instead of going to buy your own, putting on your makeup in the bathroom while the other one showered, arguing over who was going to buy dinner, and watching at her walk out the apartment with the biggest smile on her face knowing that you are the reason she smiles that big. Those were all the things that mattered right now. Tomorrow they would worry about the rest.

 


End file.
